Daily Current Affairs and GK | 05 March 2020

1. Union Cabinet approved the Companies (Second Amendment) Bill, 2019

• Recently the Union Cabinet has approved the Companies (Second Amendment) Bill, 2019. The Companies Act 2013 will be amended by this bill.
• The new bill will enable Indian companies to get listed on foreign stock exchanges.
• This will increase the competitiveness of Indian companies through the capital, broad investor base, and better valuation.
• The Ministry of Finance, in consultation with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Reserve Bank of India and the Securities and Exchange Board of India will finalize the framework for enabling such listing under the foreign exchange and securities laws.
• The priority of the government is to remove criminality under the Act, and for this, 72 changes have been brought under the new bill.

2. Union Cabinet approved the FDI policy in the civil aviation sector

• The Union Cabinet has approved the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy in the civil aviation sector.
• The amendment in the FDI policy is intended to allow foreign investment in Air India.
• Now NRIs can buy 100% shares of Air India through the automatic approval process.
• Earlier, NRIs could only buy up to 49 percent of the shares.

3. Thinlas Chorol sets up first women’s travel company

• In Ladakh, Thinlas Chorol, a young woman, has introduced woman trekking guide in a male dominated trekking industry.
• In order to train other women as trekking guides, she has also opened the first women’s travel company run by women only.
• In every trekking season from April to September, she trains 20 to 30 rural women to serve as trekking guides.
• She was honored with the Nari Shakti Puraskar and Women Transforming India.
• On the occasion of International Women's Day, women upliftment stories are being shared under #IWD and #BetiPadhaoDeshBadhao.

4. Indian Institutes of Information Technology Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020 was introduced in the Lok Sabha

• Recently, the IIIT Laws Amendment Bill, 2020 was introduced in the Lok Sabha by the Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Sanjay Dhotre.
• The proposed law will rectify a patent error in sub-section (3) of section 41 of the IIIT Act, 2014 and replace the word "elected" with "nominated" for clarity.
• Through this bill, the remaining 5 IIIT in PPP mode as well as 15 existing Indian Institutes of Information Technology with public private partnership can be declared as institutions of national importance with powers to grant degrees.

5. Union Cabinet started the second phase of Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen)

• Recently Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat launched the second phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) in New Delhi.
• The second phase (2020-2021 to 2024-2025) will be implemented from 1 April 2020.
• Under this phase, effective solid and liquid waste management will be ensured in every gram panchayat.
• During this period, emphasis will be laid on maintaining the achievements of the first phase, including the construction and use of toilets, as well as ensuring that no person is deprived of the benefits of this phase.
• The Swachh Bharat Mission was started on 2 October 2014.

6. Sri Lanka will lead the science, technology and innovation sector in BIMSTEC

• Sri Lanka will lead the science, technology and innovation sector in BIMSTEC and there are also plans to provide more facilities for technology transfer in future.
• The decision was taken during the 20th session of the meeting of senior officials in Colombo under the chairmanship of Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary Ravinath Aryasinh.
• BIMSTEC (BIMSTEC):
  • It is an international organization of seven countries for multi-sectoral technical and economic cooperation.
  • It was founded on 6 June 1997 and is headquartered in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
  • Its members are Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan.

7. Sunil Joshi was made the chairman of the national selection panel

• Sunil Joshi, former Indian spinner, has been made the chairman of the national selection panel by the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) of the BCCI.
• The CAC also named Harvinder Singh in the five-member group.
• The Cricket Advisory Committee will review the performance of the panel after one year and make recommendations accordingly.

8. Government has set a target to reduce road accidents by 50% under Setu Bharatam Scheme

• The government envisages converting all level crossings of road over bridges or road under bridges on national highways under the Setu Bharatam scheme.
• This program is being implemented by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and aims to provide safe and smooth flow of traffic and reduce road accidents by 50% by 2020.
• The Setu Bharatam Scheme was launched on 4 March 2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to construct rail over-bridges or underpasses for safe and uninterrupted travel on national highways.

9. IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi, among the top 50 engineering and technology institutes in the world

• According to a recently released major global ranking, the Indian Institutes of Technology, Bombay and Delhi, are among the top 50 engineering and technology institutes in the world.
• IIT-Bombay was ranked 44, while IIT-Delhi was ranked 47.
• In the category of the QS World University Rankings by Subject for 2020, five IITs including Kharagpur, Madras and Kanpur made it to the top 100.
• Jawaharlal Nehru University is the country's top institution in the arts and humanities category with a ranking of 162.

10. ISRO postpones proposed launch of satellite GSAT-1

• ISRO's proposed launch of India's fast-moving earth observation satellite GSAT-1 has been postponed due to technical reasons.
• The next launch date is yet to be determined.
• ISRO:
  • Indian Space Research Organization is the space agency of the Government of India.
  • It is headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
  • It was established on 15 August 1969.

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

1. Recently the Union Cabinet has approved the Company Second Amendment Bill 2019, which law is proposed to be amended by this Bill?

A. Companies Act 2013

B. Companies Act 2012

C. Companies Act 2015

D. Companies Act 2014

2. Under the new FDI policy in the civil aviation sector, how much percent of shares of Air India can be bought by NRIs now?

A. 25

B. 49

C. 100

D. 51

3. Ladakh's young lady Thinlas Chorol is related to which industry?

A. Trekking Industry

B. Woolen Textile Industry

C. Food Processing Industries

D. Information Technology Industry

4. In which year was the Swachh Bharat Mission launched?

A. 2013

B. 2014

C. 2015

D. 2016

5. Which country will lead the science, technology and innovation sector in BIMSTEC?

A. India

B. Bhutan

C. Bangladesh

D. Sri Lanka

6. Recently the Cricket Advisory Committee of BCCI has appointed __________ as the Chairman of the National Selection Panel.

A. Sunil Joshi

B. Sachin Tendulkar

C. Harvinder Singh

D. Anil Kumble

7. Under which scheme the Government of India envisages converting all level crossings of road over bridges or road under bridges on national highways?

A. Bharat Nirman Yojana

B. Setu Bharatam Scheme

C. Kayakalp Yojana

D. Sagarmala Project

8. According to the recently released global university rankings, which of the following Indian institutes are among the top 50 engineering and technology institutes?

A. IIT Bombay

B. IIT Delhi

C. Both A and B

D. None of the above

9. Where is the headquarters of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) located?

A. Bengaluru

B. Kochi

C. Chennai

D. Hyderabad

Solution:

1. A

2. C

3. A

4. B

5. D

6. A

7. B

8. C

9. A