Current Affairs 2nd March 2017

Current Affairs 2nd March 2017 - Important Points

• India's new Ambassador to World Trade Organisation - J S Deepak   
• Delay in Brexit Bill as - House of Lords backs EU nationals' rights
• Who has been appointed as the new Chairman of SEBI - Ajay Tyagi
• Jitu Rai wins gold in 50m pistol at - ISSF World Cup
• Camping activities are banned within 100 m of Ganga in Uttarakhand by - The National Green Tribunal (NGT )
• Who has been appointed as Chairman and Managing Director of MTNL - P K Purwar
• Indian Navy successfully test-fired Anti-Ship Missile from - Kalvari Class Submarine

Current Affairs 2nd March 2017 - Details

India's new Ambassador to World Trade Organisation - J S Deepak

J S Deepak, Telecom Secretary has been named as India's next Ambassador to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on 1st March 2017. His new role will be effective from 1st June.

Important Highlights

•  J S Deepak is a 1982 batch IAS officer from Uttar Pradesh.
•  He served as India's chief negotiator at the WTO during his stint in the Union Commerce Ministry.
•  He successfully conducted the first ever e-auction of spectrum in 2010.
•  He is master in Business Administration (MBA) from Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad.

Delay in Brexit Bill as - House of Lords backs EU nationals' rights

UK’s upper house, The House of Lords voted to amend the Brexit Bill on 2nd March 2017, thereby bill's passing is delayed. The bill will be returned to the lower house, the House of Commons for further debate and deliberation. However there are high chances to reject the proposal of debating further on amendment, as it was already passed with the majority.

Do you know ?

The citizens of UK voted to decide whether the UK should leave or remain in the European Union On 23rd June 2016. The final results showed that 51.9 per cent votes in the favour of UK to leave EU and 48.1 per cent wanted to remain from the 30 million people who casted votes.

Who has been appointed as the new Chairman of SEBI - Ajay Tyagi

Ajay Tyagi took charge as the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on 1st March 2017.He will be responsible for developing the country's commodity and corporate bond markets and shoring up corporate governance. He will be taking care of various constituencies such as traders, fund managers and the Reserve Bank of India.

Do you know?

He is a 1984 batch IAS officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre. Tyagi was serving as Additional Secretary at the Finance Ministry's Economic Affairs Department, the unit that oversees SEBI since 2014.

Jitu Rai wins gold in 50m pistol at - ISSF World Cup

Pistol shooter Jitu Rai stood top in the 50m men’s air pistol event held on 1st March 2017 . This victory led India to win her first gold medal at the ISSF World Cup in New Delhi. Amanpreet Singh from India was in the second position in the 50m men’s air pistol event. He was awarded with silver medal. Vahid Golkhandan from Iran who shot a total score of 208 points bagged Bronze medal.

Interesting Highlights-

Jitu Rai is an Indian shooter of Indian Gorkha ethnic group. He was born on 26th August 1987

 He takes part in the 10 metre air pistol and 50 metre pistol events.

 He won the silver medal in the 10 metre air pistol event at the ISSF World Cup in Munich in 2014.

He was ranked number 1 in the world in 10 metre air pistol, and number 4 in 50 metre pistol in July 2014.

Do you Know?

He is the first person who won two medals in the single world cup for India.He is also honoured with Khel Ratna award in 2016.

Camping activities are banned within 100 m of Ganga in Uttarakhand by - The National Green Tribunal (NGT )

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered a ban on camping activities within 100 metres of the Ganga in Uttarakhand on 2nd March 2017.  This ban will be imposed from Kaudiyala to Rishikesh in Uttarakhand.

Things to Know-

 NGT took this decision after receiving this complaint from an activist , Vikrant Tongad. He complained that camping and river rafting, when done without any regulations, would disturb the environment. He also highlighted that camping along the riverside leads to water pollution,as campers often dispose of the waste in the river and leave behind glass and plastic bottles on the banks.

Do you know?

There are 33 beaches along the riverside of Ganga.

Who has been appointed as Chairman and Managing Director of MTNL - P K Purwar

P K Purwar has been appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of state-run telecom major Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) on 1st March 2017. Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved his appointment for the duration of five years.

Key Highlights-

Narendra Kumar Yadav, Member (Services) in the Department of Telecom (DoT), was given the additional charge of CMD of MTNL on 8th June 2015, however, as per the rules, he relinquished the post after serving for a year. His name was recommended for this MTNL’s top post by PESB in November 2013, but the government did not go ahead with the same that time.

Do you know?

There was no Chairman and Managing Director after the retirement of AK Garg in May 2014 in MTNL.

Indian Navy successfully test-fired Anti-Ship Missile from - Kalvari Class Submarine

The Indian Navy successfully conducted the maiden firing of an anti-ship missile from an INS Kalvari class submarine on 2nd March 2017. The test firing was conducted in the Arabian Sea and the missile successfully hit a surface target at extended ranges during the trial firing.

Key Points

•  These submarines are based on the Scorpene-class submarine being built for the Indian Navy.INS Kalvari is a class of diesel-electric attack submarine. 
• INS Kalvari is designed by French naval defense and energy company DCNS and are being manufactured by Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai.
•  All six Kalvari class submarines will be equipped with anti-ship missiles.
•  These missiles will provide the submarines the ability to neutralise surface threats at extended ranges and boost India’s marine security.