Current Affairs 15th March 2017

Current Affairs 15th March 2017 - Important Points

• Manohar Parrikar sworn in as - Goa Chief Minister
• Natural swings partly responsible for ice loss in - Arctic sea
• Final approval for Brexit bill by - UK parliament
• World Consumer Rights Day observed on - 15th March 2017
• Commonwealth Day observed by Commonwealth countries on - 13th March 2017
• First fluorescent frog found in - Argentina
• Rs 6000-cr tractor loan settlement scheme announced by - SBI

Current Affairs 15th March 2017 - Details

Manohar Parrikar sworn in as - Goa Chief Minister

 Manohar Gopalkrishna Prabhu Parrikar, a BJP candidate, was sworn in as the 13th Chief Minister of Goa on 14th March 2017. However, within 15 days of taking the oath as CM, Parrikar has to prove his majority by convening an Assembly session. Parrikar will be serving Goa as the Chief Minister for the third time. He just resigned as the Union Defence Minister to take up this new post on 13th March 2017. 

Important Highlights

• Goa Governor Mridula Sinha appointed Manohar Parrikar, the BJP Legislature, as the Chief Minister after the declaration of the results of Goa Elections 2017 and asked him to prove majority on floor of House in next 15 days after taking oath. 
• Congress party leader Chandrakant Kavlekar filed a petition in Supreme Court arguing that Governor invited the BJP first to form the government despite the fact that Congress is the single largest party with 17 MLAs in the Assembly election. 
• The petition also asked for staying the oath-taking ceremony of Manohar Parrikar 
• On the contrary, the Supreme Court refused to stay the oath-taking of Manohar Parrikar on 14th March 2017and asked Governor to hold a floor test in the Goa Legislative Assembly on 16th March 2017 for parties to prove a majority.
• Manohar Parrikar , Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member served as the Defence Minister in the Union Cabinet following the victory of BJP in 2014 General Elections.
• He represented the Panaji constituency in the Legislative Assembly of Goa. 
• Born on 13th December 1955, Parrikar did his graduation in metallurgical engineering in 1978 from IIT Bombay.

Do you know?

 Manohar Parrikar served as the Chief Minister of Goa twice - first from 2000 to 2005 and from March 2012 to November 2014.

 Natural swings partly responsible for ice loss in - Arctic sea

A group of scientists stated in a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change in March 2017 that rapid loss of Arctic sea ice in recent decades is partly driven by natural swings. They went on to state that ice loss in Arctic is not just global warming triggered by human activities.

 Important highlights

• Climate scientist, Qinghua Ding in the University of California at Santa Barbara in the US is the lead author.
• Research showed that a shift in wind patterns is mainly responsible for about 60% of sea ice loss in the Arctic Ocean since 1979.
• Some of this shift is due to climate change.
• Natural variability has helped to accelerate the ice melting, especially in the last two decades.
• The study shows how much of the observed sea ice trend that has been seen in recent decades in the Arctic is due to natural variability and greenhouse gases.
• The study could help to go close to the idea about when the Arctic ice will vanish.

 Final approval for Brexit bill by - UK parliament

 On 13th March 2017,UK’s House of Lords gave its final approval on the Brexit bill. Theresa May government will trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon treaty,the legal method to initiate UK’s exit from the European Union. The bill had faced opposition over its inability to protect rights of EU citizens living in the UK after Brexit in the UK’s House of Commons.

Interesting Highlights

• The upper house voted in favour of a meaningful parliamentary vote in its final reading on the final terms of Brexit.
• The bill is expected to receive Royal Assent and become a law on 14th March 2017.
• The bill’s passing enables Theresa May to formally initiate the Brexit process this week only.
• The process involved almost two years of talks, which will end with Britain becoming the first country to leave the European Union bloc.
• This decision comes in the wake of protests from Scotland, whose First Minister had demanded for a new independence reference between the 2018 end and the first half of 2019.

 World Consumer Rights Day observed on - 15th March 2017

World Consumer Rights Day is being observed on 15th March 2017 with the theme 'Building a Digital World Consumers can Trust’. The day aims to raise awareness about the basic rights of consumers. Basic rights of the consumers should be respected and protected. Participants protest against the market abuse and social injustices.

More about this Day

• Several functions are being organised across India on this occasion of the Consumer Rights Day.
• Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan presided over a function in New Delhi.
• President John F Kennedy was the first world leader to formally address the issue of consumer rights in US congress on this day in 1962
• The consumer movement now marks that date every year for consumer rights.

Do you know?

The first World Consumer Rights Day was observed in 1983.

Commonwealth Day observed by Commonwealth countries on - 13th March 2017

52 countries of the Commonwealth observed The Commonwealth Day on 13th March 2017 with the theme 'A peace-building Commonwealth'.

This year's theme is a natural follow-on from 2016 theme 'An Inclusive Commonwealth'.

Important Highlights

• The Commonwealth founded in December 1931, is one of the world’s oldest political associations of states.
• The countries that became self-governing, while keeping Britain’s monarch as Head of State, formed the British Commonwealth of Nations.
• The Commonwealth came into existence in 1949 and since then independent countries like Africa, America, Asia, Europe and the Pacific have joined the group.

First fluorescent frog found in - Argentina

The world’s first fluorescent frog (Hypsiboas punctatus) is discovered by a group of scientists near Santa Fe in Argentina. The frog gives a muted palette of greens, yellows and reds under normal light, but emits a bright blue and green glow in the dark. The scientists found that the South American polka dot tree frog uses fluorescent molecules which are totally unlike those found in other animals. The findings were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on 13th March 2017.

Key Points

• When scientists tried an ultraviolet a flashlight on polka dot tree frogs, 
• they were surprised to find that the animals gave off an intense greenish-blue glow instead of a faint red.
• The researchers were expecting to find red fluorescence in these frogs from a pigment called biliverdin.
• Scientists discovered that three molecules namely, hyloin-L1, hyloin-L2 and hyloin-G1, found in lymph tissue, skin and glandular secretions of animals, are responsible for the green fluorescence.
• The molecules contain a ring structure and a chain of hydrocarbons closely similar to molecules found in plants.

Do you know?

Absorbing light at short wavelengths and re-emitting it at longer wavelengths is called fluorescence.

Rs 6000-cr tractor loan settlement scheme announced by - SBI

The State Bank of India (SBI) has announced a one-time farm loan settlement scheme of Rs 6000 crore mainly on tractors. This Scheme is valid until 31st March 2017. Bank also urged farmers to contact their branch for details and benefits.

Highlights on One-Time Farm Loan Settlement scheme

• Loans disbursed before 2011 and at present, falls under the doubtful or loss category accounts as of September 2016, will be considered.
• Other agricultural loans like Kisan credit cards and other term loans for tractors and farm loans will also be covered in this scheme.
• The Managing director of the bank,Rajnish Kumar told a news channel that the scheme will help the bank in taking 40 per cent haircut on outstanding tractor loans as of September 2016. He also informed that a circular in this regard has been already sent to branches on 2nd February 2017.
• SBI's total farm loan portfolio is Rs 1.25 Lakh Crore and tractor loan book is about Rs 6000 crore as on date.