Current Affairs 4th March 2016

Important Points : 

• Who has won ACM 2015 A M Turing Award - Martin Hellman and Whitfield Diffie
• Which team has clinched CK Nayudu Trophy 2015-16 - Mumbai U-23 
• CCS cleared proposal to acquire two more - AWACS
• Which project has been launched to make National Highways free of Railway crossings - Setu Bharatam project
• Where did the World's costliest train station opened - New York 
• Which day is observed on 4th March - National Safety Day and National Safety Week
• Name the digital wallet launched by Flipkart - Flipkart Money
• Fixed! Cash and Corruption in Cricket authored by - Journalist Shantanu Guha Ray
• Name the CEO of Micromax Informatics Limited who has resigned - Vineet Taneja
• Who is to be conferred Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2015 - Manoj Kumar

Details : 

Who has won ACM 2015 A M Turing Award - Martin Hellman and Whitfield Diffie

Among the important International Current Affairs, On 1st March 2016, Martin Hellman and Whitfield Diffie were honoured with the Association for Computing Machinery's 2015 A.M. Turing Award for their fundamental contributions to modern cryptography.

About Whitfield Diffie

• He is a former Chief Security Officer and Vice President of Sun Microsystems.
• In the year 1996, he received the ACM Paris Kanellakis Theory and Practice Award and IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal in the year 2010.

About Martin Hellman

• He is a Professor of Emeritus of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University.
• In the year 1996, he received the ACM Paris Kanellakis Theory and Practice Award and IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal in the year 2010.

Do You Know : 

• The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) annually presents the ACM A.M. Turing Award.
• The award is presented to the individual for his/her contributions of a technical nature made to the computing community.
• It is considered as the the Nobel Prize of computing and is highest distinction in computer science.
• It is named after Alan Turing.

Which team has clinched CK Nayudu Trophy 2015-16 - Mumbai U-23 

Among the important Sports Current Affairs, On 3rd March 2016, the Col CK Nayudu Trophy was won by the Mumbai under-23 team after defeating Madhya Pradesh.

Mumbai has won the Ranji Trophy for the 41st time earlier and this was their second big title of the season.

The team will be awarded with a cash prize of 20 lakh rupees.

CCS cleared proposal to acquire two more - AWACS

On 1st March 2016, the proposal to acquire two more Phalcon Airborne Early Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) will be acquired as the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) gave it the clearance. These aircraft will be bought at an estimated cost of 7500 crore rupees under a tripartite agreement with Russia and Israel.

AWACS are advanced radars placed on an aircraft to give it a 360 degree view to detect incoming missiles and aircrafts at long ranges. 

In the year 2003, India had procured three Phalcon AWACS, Israeli radars mounted on Russian IL-76 transport aircraft. 

Which project has been launched to make National Highways free of Railway crossings - Setu Bharatam project

Among the important National Current Affairs, On 4th March 2016, the Setu Bharatam project was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make all national highways free of Railway crossings till 2019.

After the survey, 208 places have been marked for construction of rail over-bridges (ROB) or underpasses at an estimated cost of 10200 crore rupees.

The detials of 208 ROBs are as follows : 

• Karnataka - 17
• Maharashtra & Assam - 12 each
• Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu & Uttar Pradesh - 9 each
• Jharkhand - 11
• Punjab & Haryana - 10 each
• Gujarat - 8
• Madhya Pradesh -6
• Andhra Pradesh - 33
• West Bengal - 22
• Chattisgarh & Himachal Pradesh - 5 each
• Kerala & Odisha - 4 each
• Bihar - 20
• Utarakhand - 2

Where did the World's costliest train station opened - New York 

Among the important International Current Affairs, On 3rd March 2016, the World Trade Centre Transportation Hub, World's most expensive train station opened in New York, the United States of America.

Santiago Calatrava, the Spanish-Swiss architect who unveiled his ambitious design 12 years ago, removed a barrier at the entrance of the Oculus, a giant oval hall with walls of steel ribs and glass.

The World Trade Centre Transportation Hub is expected to serve more than 200000 daily passengers.

The station has earned the title of the most expensive station in the world after it ended up costing 3.85 billion US dollars.

Which day is observed on 4th March - National Safety Day and National Safety Week

Among the important National Current Affairs, On 4th March 2016, National Safety Day was observed across India which is annually organised by the National Safety Council (NSC) to celebrate its establishment and strengthen the safety awareness among people. 

The day is observed to prevent and decerease the loss of life.

Established on 4th March 1966, under the Societies Act, National Safety Council of India is a self-governing body having over 8000 members in Mumbai.

Name the digital wallet launched by Flipkart - Flipkart Money

Among the important Business Current Affairs, On 3rd March 2016, Flipkart launched its own digital wallet Flipkart Money for Flipkart only transactions.

Features of Flipkart Money

• This Android app allows the users to hold a balance of 10000 rupees at a time.
• Users can withdraw from the wallet to the cards or the bank account.

Fixed! Cash and Corruption in Cricket authored by - Journalist Shantanu Guha Ray

Among the important National Current Affairs, In first week of March 2016, Fixed! Cash and Corruption in Cricket authored by journalist Shantanu Guha Ray was in news.  It examines the statements of corruption against players, cricket administrators and bookies alike.

The author has interviewed many people who were the middle men and agents. These are the people who placed bets on games and allured cricketers to disclose inside information.

The book talks about the two recent cases in Mumbai, bookies camouflaged themselves as members of an investor forum discussing the ills of real estate business in the city.

Name the CEO of Micromax Informatics Limited who has resigned - Vineet Taneja

On 1st March 2016, Vineet Taneja resigned as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Micromax Informatics Ltd. 

Prior to this, in October 2015, Bharti Airtel CEO Sanjay Kapoor resigned as the chairman of the company.

About Micromax Informatics Limited

It is India’s second-largest phone manufacturer and the 10th largest mobile phone player across the world.

Who is to be conferred Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2015 - Manoj Kumar

Among the important National Current Affairs, Veteran Film Actor and Director Manoj Kumar will be conferred the 47th Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2015.

He is remembered for his films Roti Kapda Aur Makaan, Woh Kaun Thi, Himalaya Ki God Mein, Patthar Ke Sanam, Upkaar, Hariyali Aur Raasta, Neel Kamal, Purab Aur Paschim, Kranti and Do Badan. 

He received the National Film Award for the film Upkaar. He was also honoured with the third highest civilian award Padma Shri by the Government of India in the year 1992.