Current Affairs 20th March 2017

Current Affairs 20th March 2017 - Important Points

• MoU signed between India and Mauritius to - Execute USD 20 million social housing project
• Parents can evict abusive children can be evicted from house as rule passed by - Delhi High Court
• Hindustan Aeronautics Limited expected to deliver Tejas aircrafts to - IAF by 2024
• India’s longest road tunnel completes - Trial run
• World Sparrow Day 2017 observed globally on - 20th March 2017
• Idea approves merger with - Vodafone India

Current Affairs 20th March 2017 - Details

MoU signed between India and Mauritius to - Execute USD 20 million social housing project

India and Mauritius signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to execute a USD 20 million social housing project in Mauritius on 20th March 2017. The MoU was signed in the presence of M Venkaiah Naidu, the Union Minister of Urban Development and the visiting Mauritius’s Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Housing and Lands Showkutally Soodhun.

Detailed Information

• As per MoU, the NBCC Limited of the Union Government will undertake construction of 700 duplex type houses with 50 square meters net floor area.
• Each house consists of living, two bedrooms and dining rooms, bathrooms, kitchen,and toilets.
• NBCC (India) Limited, is a blue-chip Government of India Navratna Enterprise under the Ministry of Urban Development.
• The company has registered a substantial 32 per cent growth in top line during FY 2015-16 as compared to the previous year.
• Certified with ISO 9001:2008 from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in respect of Project Management and Consultancy,
•  the company’s?present areas of operations are categorized into three main segments - Project Management Consultancy (PMC), Real Estate Development and EPC Contracting.
• The Company is launching a new business venture of e-Commerce to cater to the sale of built-up properties of NBCC’s real estate.
• It has executed projects of diverse nature in countries like Turkey,Maldives, Mauritius, Iraq, Libya,Yemen, Nepal, and Botswana.

Parents can evict abusive children can be evicted from house as rule passed by - Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court passed a rule on 19th March 2017 stating that children who assault or abuse their parents while staying with them in their house can be evicted from the property. Justice Manmohan specified that the house need not be self-acquired or owned by the parents. This is a major shift from the 2007 law that left it upon the state governments to frame rules to protect the life and property of senior citizens. 

Important Details

• The court in its 52-page judgement noted that the direction to evict the adult children from the property was necessary in some cases to ensure a normal life for senior citizens.
• The court also noted that while the Delhi government’s rules allowed a senior citizen to complain to district authorities to evict abusive children from a self-acquired property, or even from a rented accommodation. 
• The court also directed the Delhi government to amend its rules and create a new action plan to protect the life and property of senior citizens.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited expected to deliver Tejas aircrafts to - IAF by 2024

The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) announced in the third week of March 2017 that it is expected to deliver 123 Tejas aircrafts to the Indian Air Force (IAF) by 2024. The HAL is in the process of setting up a new assembly line by involving the private sector, to achieve thus goal.

Interesting Key points

• The Light Combat Aircraft Tejas is a single-seat,supersonic, single-engine multirole light fighting aircraft.
• The fourth generation aircraft was co-developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and Bengaluru-based Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
• The Tejas has unstable aerodynamics and is built from CFC materials.
• It has an advanced glass cockpit that comprises all the round dialed electro-mechanical instruments.
• The squadron has been named as ‘Flying Daggers 45’.The first squadron of the Tejas was inducted into the IAF on 1st July 2016.

India’s longest road tunnel completes - Trial run

India’s longest road tunnel, connecting Cheneni and Nashiri towns on the new Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, has successfully completed its trial run. The 9.2 km long twin tube is expected to be opened for public usage by the March 2017 end. Speaking on its opening, J S Rathore, the Project Director of the Chenani Nashiri Tunnelway stated that the tunnel would be formally open to regular traffic after inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  Rathore added that the road tunnel would help in reducing the traffic jams due to snowfall and avalanches in winter on National Highway-1A.

Important Highlights

• This tunnel will be the first one in the country to get the world class 'integrated tunnel control system'.
• The system would allow ventilation, fire control, signals, communication and electrical systems to be automatically actuated.
• It is located at an elevation of 1200 meters.
• The trial run of the tunnel was conducted successfully during both peak hours and non-peak hours between 9 to 15 March 2017. 
• The tunnel would also have fully computerised operation room for surveillance of vehicles inside the twin tubes. 
• 124 CCTV cameras have also been installed at an equal distance of 75 meters to feed information to the operating room. 
• In fact, for better visibility the tunnel has been equipped with three-tier lighting system that would ensure that it is well lit at all times. 
• Vehicles would be allowed to run in the tunnel at a maximum speed of 50 km per hour, with head lights on low beam. 
• Containers carrying inflammable material would not be allowed to enter the tunnel. 
• Vehicles will have to pay toll charges to gain access to the tunnel.

 World Sparrow Day 2017 observed globally on - 20th March 2017

• The World Sparrow Day was observed across the world on 20th March 2017.
• The day is created with an aim to raise awareness about the house sparrow and then other common birds to urban environments.
• The World Sparrow Day also speaks of threats to their population.
• It provides an opportunity to appreciate the beauty of the common biodiversity which is taken so much for granted.
• World Sparrow Day is an international initiative of the Nature Forever Society of India in collaboration with several national and international organisations including the Eco-Sys Action Foundation (France). 

Do you know?

The first World Sparrow Day was celebrated in 2010 across the world.

Idea approves merger with - Vodafone India

Idea Cellular, owned by Kumar Mangalam Birla announced on 20th March 2017that its board has approved the merger of Vodafone India and its wholly-owned subsidiary Vodafone Mobile Services Limited with itself. This merger will lead to the creation of the country's largest telecom entity of about 400 million customers. It will also help the company in holding 35 per cent market share as well as 41 per cent revenue market share.

Highlights of  merger

• Vodafone is holding 45.1 per cent in the combined entity while Idea is holding 26.1 per cent of the entity.
• Aditya Birla Group will have right to buy 9.5 per cent stake in the new entity.
• Under the terms of the agreement, the merger need to be completed within 24 months.
• Idea will have the sole right to appoint the new chairman while Vodafone has right to appoint CFO of the company.
• On the other hand, the appointment of CEO and COO will require an approval of both the companies.
• Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone will jointly control the entity or the combined entity.