By: D.K Chaudhary
1. Suresh Prabhu Gets Additional Charge Of Civil Aviation Ministry
i. Commerce and Industries minister Suresh Prabhu was given additional charge of the Civil Aviation Ministry, a day after the resignation of TDP’s Ashok Gajapathi Raju was accepted by President Ram Nath Kovind.
ii. The President, as advised by the Prime Minister, has directed that Suresh Prabhu, Cabinet Minister, shall be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, in addition to his existing portfolio.
2. India Wins Best Exhibitor Award At ITB- Berlin
i. India has won the “Best Exhibitor Award ” at ITB – Berlin on its last day. ‘ITB- Berlin World Tourist Meet’ was convened at Berlin, Germany from 7th March to 10th March 2018. India was represented by the Minister of State (Independent charge) for Tourism Mr. K. J. Alphons along with a couple of Tourism Ministry officials.
ii. More than 100 countries participated in the ITB- Berlin meet with their respective Tourism Ministers. India’s Incredible India (Ministry of Tourism) presented a short film named “Yogi of the Racetrack ” in the meet. The said the short film has got 3.2 million hits in 60 hours.
3. 1st Ever Multi-Nation Naval Exercise At Sea Begins In Andaman
i. The first-ever multi-nation naval exercise at sea, MILES-18, began at the Andaman sea. 11 naval ships of 8 countries and nine Indian ships are participating in the three-day exercise.
ii. Apart from enhancing inter-operability, the exercise aims to hone search and rescue procedures, maritime interdiction operations, core operational skills and exercise a variety of maritime security scenarios.
4. Govt Makes Passport Mandatory For Bank Loans Of Rs. 50 Crore & Above
i. The government has made providing passport details mandatory for taking loans of 50 crore rupees and above to ensure a SWIFT action in case of fraud and prevent fraudsters from fleeing the country.
ii. According to Financial Services Secretary, all existing loans of over 50 crore rupees, banks have been asked to collect passport details of borrowers within 45 days.
- SWIFT stands for Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication.
- SWIFT provides a network that enables financial institutions worldwide to send and receive information about financial transactions in a secure, standardized and reliable environment.
- Headquarters of SWIFT- La Hulpe, Belgium.
5. President Xi Jinping Becomes China’s Leader For Life As Parliament Abolishes Presidential Term-Limit
i. China’s Parliament has abolished the decades-old two-term limit for the President, allowing Xi Jinping to remain as the country’s leader for life. The constitutional changes were passed in Beijing by the annual sitting of the National People’s Congress – the country’s legislature – with the two-thirds majority. Of the 2,964 delegates, only two voted against the change, while three abstained.
ii. Earlier, the seven-member Standing Committee – the topmost body of the ruling Communist Party of China – had unanimously approved the amendment. 64-year old Xi Jinping is currently in his second five-year term and due to retire in 2023 under the current two-term system.
